Best Movies Featuring Singers Turned Actor

I expect to be eating my way through Musikfest Monday, which in recent years also has included live blogging about the experience.

I'll be writing the column live for Tuesday's paper, so whenever I stop by the media trailer to rest my stomach and add to my column, I'll also post an update here about how I'm progressing. I expect to put something up before I go out at lunchtime.

Meanwhile, I have a movie list for you today, and it's a little bit different.

I propose to list the 10 best nonmusical movies with a significant role played by someone who began his show business career as a singer/musician. Some of these people have been very successful.

Once I removed the musicals, I didn’t find as many stellar movies as I expected, but I did have to leave some good ones out. Please chime in with some of your own favorites.

For the record, these are the best movies, not the best performances by these individuals. They weren’t even the stars of some of these movies, but none of them are cameos, either.

It was surprising to me that I ended up leaving out maybe the most successful of these singers-turned-actor. I didn't think any of his movies -- at least the ones I've seen -- were good enough to make the cut, but feel free to disagree.

1. From Here to Eternity - Great look at military life on the eve of the Pearl Harbor attack. Frank Sinatra revived his career and won an Oscar for his portrayal of a feisty Army private.

2. Fight Club - Meat Loaf plays Bob, part of the testicular cancer survivor group that helps the narrator overcome his insomnia. Terrific movie.

3. Rio Bravo - This classic John Wayne Western features two singers in starring roles with Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson, although I suppose you could argue that Ricky was an actor before he was a singer.

4. Moonstruck - Cher won the Oscar for her great role in this very funny look at an Italian family.

5. Manchurian Candidate - I hate to use anyone twice, but Sinatra was really good in this tense suspense movie/political satire about a brainwashed assassin.

6. The Departed - Mark Wahlberg, formerly known as Marky Mark, had a great supporting role in this Oscar-winner.

7. League of Their Own - Madonna was very good, albeit typecast, as a promiscuous ballplayer in a professional women's baseball league.

Current Comments

Mark Wahlberg has done a number of good films (as well as some clunkers, depending on your view). I thought Shooter was a good film; his remake of The Italian Job was good as well. Oh, and Invincible.

LL Cool J has done well for himself as an actor; not many movie credits, but acted beside Samuel L. Jackson in Deep Blue Sea and SWAT. And, now starring in the NCIS spinoff.

Posted By: Wild Bill | Aug 6, 2010 1:55:48 PM

Rio Bravo is one of my favorites, too ....

Posted By: Gene R. | Aug 6, 2010 2:41:38 PM

I think Will Smith started out as a rap singer, so I'd throw in "Men in Black" to the list of movies featuring singers turned actors.

Posted By: Lu | Aug 6, 2010 2:56:53 PM

Will Smith was the actor I had in mind when I mentioned the most successful one, but I didn't like Men in Black as much as the other movies on the list. I've heard Pursuit of Happyness was really good, but haven't seen it.

Posted By: bill white | Aug 6, 2010 3:06:11 PM

How can you not like MIB??

Posted By: Lu | Aug 6, 2010 3:20:33 PM

I didn't say I didn't like it; just didn't think it was as good as the movies on the list. I actually preferred "Independence Day," "I Am Legend" and "Hitch" to that one.

Posted By: bill white | Aug 6, 2010 3:35:37 PM

OK - how about Hoagy Carmichael in "To Have and Have Not". And what about one of the popular movies of all time, "Casablanca" featuring Dooley Wilson? Play it again, Sam.

Posted By: Lu | Aug 6, 2010 4:04:14 PM

Dooley didn't really do much except play the piano, so I think that one's a stretch (albeit one of the five best movies ever), but Hoagie did have more of a speaking role in "To Have and Have Not," a great movie. Also in "The Best Years of Their Lives." Both of those would have to be in the Top 10 if you considered his role significant enough.

Posted By: bill white | Aug 6, 2010 4:13:24 PM

The Original Manchurian Candidate is one of the greatest films ever made.

I was a big fan of the Smokey and the Bandit Movies, with Jerry Reed (remember him?) But he did a great film called "Gator" with Burt Reynolds where he played a really nasty villain. I would nominate "Gator" and I think Lauren Hutton was in it too.

Posted By: Chris Casey | Aug 6, 2010 5:36:59 PM

If it hadn't been for Sam and his piano, where would Rick have hidden those valuable letters of transit?

Posted By: Lu | Aug 6, 2010 5:47:33 PM

How about singer/actress Judy Garland in "A Star Is Born"?

Posted By: Lu | Aug 6, 2010 5:49:27 PM

Isn't "A Star is Born" a musical of sorts? Or maybe I'm thinking of the Streisand remake. Anyway, Judy was a singer/actress from the beginning. I think her best non-singing role was "Judgment at Nuremberg."
If we go with Jerry Reed, I prefer the cinema classic "The Waterboy."

Posted By: bill white | Aug 6, 2010 6:05:34 PM

How about Bing Crosby in "The Country Girl" with Grace Kelly?

Posted By: Susan | Aug 6, 2010 11:34:16 PM

I had that No. 10 until I decided to go with Larry Flynt instead. Very good movie.

Posted By: bill white | Aug 6, 2010 11:38:28 PM

Prefer Will Smith in Enemy of the State. Gene Hackman very good in that one.

Posted By: DON | Aug 7, 2010 1:15:54 AM

Cher is pretty darn good in "Silkwood," "Mask" and "Moonstruck."

Posted By: Barb R | Aug 7, 2010 6:23:23 AM

She's had some good roles. I did include Moonstruck on my list.

Posted By: bill white | Aug 8, 2010 9:20:08 PM

And then there was Dolly Parton in 9 to 5, and again with Burt Reynolds in 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'.

Also, Madonna was in 'Desperately Seeking Susan', way back. Touted as her breakthrough role????

Posted By: brian p | Aug 11, 2010 9:39:29 PM

Oh and I forgot....
How about Frank S. again in 'Man with the Golden Arm'

David Bowie in the "The Man Who Fell to Earth"
and 'Labyrinth'

Posted By: brian p | Aug 11, 2010 9:50:11 PM

I liked "Desperately Seeking Susan" and "Man With the Golden Arm," not so much the Bowie movies. Didn't like either of those Dolly Parton movies. She also was in "Steel Magnolias."
The other one that hasn't been mentioned was "Coal Miner's Daughter." Levon Helm from "The Band" played Loretta's father.

Posted By: bill white | Aug 12, 2010 9:52:39 AM

What about Barbara Streisand in Meet the Faulkers?

Posted By: Kara | Aug 12, 2010 12:06:14 PM

That would work, except it's the 10 BEST movies, not the worst. I didn't care much for it. If I were picking one of her nonsinging roles, I'd go for "Prince of Tides," which did a pretty good job with one of my favorite books.

Posted By: bill white | Aug 12, 2010 12:34:15 PM

The most successful singer, and actor of the 20th century was Bing Crosby.....period!!!!

Posted By: Too hep | Sep 30, 2011 11:05:22 PM

HELLO!!!!!!!! YOU FORGOT JARED LETO!!! He was also in fight club! Then Jim Sturgess in Across the Universe along with Martin Luther McCoy who was also in Across the Universe!